Labor Union Support Remains Above 60% for Third Year

Support of
labor unions has ebbed and flowed in the U.S. since President Grover Cleveland signed
legislation establishing Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894.

Approval of unions
among U.S. adults ticked upward again this year, according to a Gallup report
published Aug. 28, rising two points to 64%.

This is the
highest support level since 2003 (65%) and the third year in a row that
approval was above 60%.

Since Gallup
began polling about labor unions in 1936, approval has ranged from a high of
75% in 1952 to a low of 48% in 2009.

The report
noted correlations between higher union support during periods of low
unemployment and lower support during economic downturns.

Democrats were
most likely to express support for unions (82% did so this year), followed by independents
(61%) and Republicans (45%).

All parties saw
increased support from 2009: Independents’ affirmation increased 17 percentage
points, while both Democrats and Republicans saw a 16-point increase.

Women (66%)
were more likely than men (61%) to support unions, and non-white respondents
(68%) were more likely than white respondents (61%) to do so.

Union approval
decreased with age – moving from 67% support among 18- to 34-year-olds to 64%
(35-54) to 61% (55 and older) – and increased with education – rising from 58%
approval among respondents with a high school degree or less than 66% among
those with some college and 68% among college graduates.